...but a quiet dinner. After three weddings for three nieces in three weeks, we were glad to sit down last night to an excellent dinner of tri-tip, asparagus and leftover pasta, biscuits and fruit salad. The four of us were almost the only humans left in the campground--there are a couple of other campers at some distance from us. Light rain had moved in and the winds had picked up again, but we were snug.

The weddings began three weeks ago with a very small ceremony at the Linn County courthouse for niece Leslie and fiance Matt. Afterwards we retired to the Cedar Ridge Winery. Les kept her event small because the next day they took off for two weeks in Dublin, Berlin, and Amsterdam.

Two days later, we headed north with the camper for Beed's Lake--a park about eight or ten miles east of the church and 30 miles south of the Music Man Square in Mason City, sites of the next wedding and reception. Natalie and Terry were married in a historic Danish Lutheran church attended by her grandparents. The reception at the Music Man square featured an interesting theme with skulls and polar bears.

After ten days to recoup, restock, and repack, we headed south to Lake Darling State Park near Washington, Iowa. I drove my car for a couple of reasons. I had eight sets of sheets, plus pillows and blankets, to help furnish the six year-round cabins for the wedding party and out-of-town relatives for wedding number 3. I also had been invited to do a book talk and signing at the library in Washington on Thursday noon. That was fun hour for me, with lots of questions and comments from the audience.

Then on down to the park where Butch had the camper ready and three other couples had set up as well. We made up the beds in some of the cabins and retired inside our camper to a heart-and-body warming supper of chili, corn bread, crackers and cheese, and gingerbread bundt cake. The day had started out sunny and pleasant but disintegrated into gray and blustery evening. Friday, the bride, groom, and families arrived and we helped set up the wonderful lodge for the weekend festivities. The plan was to hold the ceremony outside Saturday afternoon on a point overlooking the lake, but the weather wasn't promising--temperatures in the low 40s and very gusty winds. Miraculously, the winds died and the sun broke through about an hour before the ceremony.

So we witnessed another delightful event, followed by the reception, dinner, dance, a s'mores bar, and a sparkler arch for the bride and groom. The next morning we helped serve breakfast to the wedding party and traveling relatives, and then empty the cabins. By afternoon everyone else was gone except us and the Halds. Time for naps and then our cozy supper.

This morning, we will head home to empty and winterize the camper, laundry and, and preparations for the fourth annual Book Bums' writer's workshop at our library on Saturday. Two of visiting authors coming a distance will stay with us Friday night, so a little housecleaning is in order.

A busy month, but full of love and laughter for three wonderful young women and their equally special new spouses.